Monthly Archives: August 2016

Currently on Display: The Peace Corps through the Lens of its Volunteers

In conjunction with the annual conference of the National Peace Corps Association that will be held in September 2016 in Washington, DC, AU Archives and Special Collections is highlighting its Peace Corps Community Archive with the launch of two new exhibits one in Bender Library and the other online. The Peace Corps through the Lens of its Volunteers will be on display through the end of the semester on the third floor of the Library. The Peace Corps and Its Volunteers, the online companion exhibit, will go live this Friday August 26.  Both exhibits are drawn from the collections of the Peace Corps Community Archive.  They feature journals, letters and photographs that showcase the experiences of Peace Corps volunteers from the 1960s to the present.

 

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Currently on Display: Eyewitness to History: Presidential Visits to AU

Although there has never been any formal connection between American University and the White House, eight presidents, one vice president who became president, and two former presidents have all visited campus. AU’s Board of Trustees included a sitting U.S. president for its first thirty years. The longest serving trustees were Herbert Hoover (1945-1950) and Theodore Roosevelt (1900-1919). AU awarded honorary degrees to four sitting presidents.

A new exhibit on the first floor of Bender Library features photographs from these significant moments in AU’s history. Visitors can also hear excerpts from speeches made by John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. The exhibit will be on display through Inauguration Day 2017.

 

President Theodore Roosevelt spoke at the cornerstone laying for the McKinley building on May 14, 1902

Theodore Roosevelt spoke at the cornerstone laying for the McKinley building on May 14, 1902

 

Former President Gerald R. Ford gave two separate speeches at AU on December 13, 1978.

Former President Gerald R. Ford gave two separate speeches at AU on December 13, 1978.

 

President Barack Obama spoke about immigration reform at AU on July 1, 2010.

President Barack Obama spoke about immigration reform at AU on July 1, 2010.